INTRODUCTION

It's been interesting watching the energy of January's Aquarius 10 new moon holding an enormous charge for a long time by Chiron's long sojourn transiting that same degree, and we've seen that new moon's symbolism carry into the following months. The Sabian Symbol is Aquarius 10: A Man Who Had For a Time Become The Embodiment of an Ideal is Made to Realize That as a Person He is Not This Ideal.

We've seen a lot of 'falls from grace' - amongst them the more obvious political fall-outs being the drop in the support of the war in Iraq, G.W. Bush Jnr's slide in the polls, along with Britain's Tony Blair and Australia's John Howard as well (although Australia's Howard seems to be more politically Teflon-coated than the others - much to a lot of people's surprise). Corporations have become more and more powerful and the guy in the street has lost a lot of clout. Worker's rights have been slashed, immigration issues have been huge, new laws, restrictions and inroads into our privacy have and are being made at what seems record speed. There's been the undermining of 'the little guy' and the building up of big business, etc, etc.

DISILLUSIONMENT

'Disillusionment' is a major theme of Aquarius 10 and, along with the difficulties, there are always benefits that come from facing reality. Opposite we have Saturn sitting on Leo 10. This - especially as Aquarius and Leo are fixed signs - can be quite the Mexican stand-off, forcing people to halt, take stock and look at things in a new light. One of the set tasks is to warm to new ideas once we've seen how gloomy the disillusionment can be. As we know, in our lives there's always hope, healing and a bright side, but some things come at quite a high price if we cling rigidly like old man Saturn to outworn, set-in-concrete ideas. Saturn's opposition to Chiron is asking us to square off with any old stories we hold dear but are holding us back. Saturn usually does this by showing us the dark side of the wound, even more so when opposed by Chiron.

Disillusionment can be a great thing, it doesn't necessarily have to be a bad or difficult thing. Bringing revelations and realisations we slough off things that no longer ring true. Shrugging off feelings of inadequacy, defeat, a too competitive spirit, whatever, it can lead to a cleansing of mind, heart and space.

With Saturn in the picture, we're often looking through the dark at first. Saturn's current degree of Leo 10 holds the Sabian Symbol of Early Morning Dew. This can feel like refreshment after 'the dark night of the soul' and it can feel like a very long night - especially with Saturn occupying it, along with Chiron on the 'fall from grace' Symbol.

SABIAN SYMBOLS OF THE DEGREES

As always, it's instructive to look at the Sabian Symbols for the degrees square (at 90 degree angles) - Scorpio 10 and Taurus 10. This makes up the fixed cross, and here's the rest of the story contained in the 10th degree of fixed. In Scorpio 10 we see the need to reconnect and 'break bread' with special people and those close to us. To 'recognise' who are true comrades and who are not, or to accept the loss of those who have had cause to move on from our lives.

The true heart of this degree, however, shows us those we truly connect with. It can palpably feel like a fellowship supper - perhaps a meeting of souls from lives that have past. the degree is Scorpio 10: A Fellowship Supper Reunites Old Comrades. Jupiter has been transiting this degree for quite some time now, emphasising and amplifying it.

We long for reunion on many levels, to be with those we deeply or instantly know. Along with ongoing and deep and abiding relationships that are inherent in this degree (especially with Jupiter's propensity for glee and mirth and the good things in life), with Saturn and Chiron forming a t-square to this degree Symbol, and with Jupiter inflating it, people may leave our life. This can, of course, be either happy or sad (or shades in between), but in turn makes way for new alliances and lovers.

This t-square shows us one of the things we've lost with our fast paced lives - the pleasure of taking time to celebrate each other, our lives and our mile-stones along the way. As a society, when we marry, give birth or have a birthday we of course tend to celebrate with others, but for the funeral, and more pointedly the divorce, we don't. It's clear there's a bigger and bigger loss of ritual. Jupiter would welcome any ritual with open arms, particularly on the 'last supper degree' of Scorpio 10's Fellowship Supper. Saturn and Chiron in this 'squaring off at each other aspect' are undoubtedly giving Jupiter a run for his money.

The empty leg (the side with no planet) of the grand cross is Taurus 10: A Red Cross Nurse With Warm Sympathy. Taurus 10 shows the need to heal, to feel protected, nurtured and looked after. This Symbol can (like all Symbols) work out in many ways; we can be the 'nurse' for others, for ourselves, others can be the nurse for us. A sense of selfless giving is evident, or, at least there's the need for it with this fixed cross story being engaged by three of the 'heavies' in our planetary realm. All this Chiron, Saturn and Jupiter energy focusing through the Red Cross Nurse would probably call for a no-nonsense, get yourself better, pick yourself up, here's a cup of tea type of healing.

With the Nurse degree occupying the empty leg and Chiron, Saturn and Jupiter forming a grand cross with it, along with the disillusionment and the dark night of the soul, many of us could do with a little aspirin and a good lie down with a wet flannel over the brow. A kiss on the forehead wouldn't go astray for many, either. There's not much time for taking time out with this t-square of planets, although that's what's often so sorely needed, along with a healing.

Adding to the mix is Mars currently transiting Leo 10 - Early Morning Dew. He's having a brief rendevouz with Saturn by conjunction and slipping right into that t-square in order to set things off. Complacency may have just received a rather large kick in the posterior.

Amen to that and thank God for Red Cross Nurses. It sounds like the 'nurse' needs to be able to do more than dispense a pill and a gentle touch on the cheek; she probably should know chiropractic, deep tissue massage (indeed Rolfing), and, for some on the operating table, high colonics (one can never be too sure where things lurk and the Red Cross Nurse under stress could want to go to any lengths to find it. ;)

As I'm sure Kepler might have said: 'That's one hell of a fixed cross!'

Greetings and love from DownUnder
Lynda

AUTHOR: Lynda Hill